6 September 20096 September 2009 Main Posts a poet is born Overland Overloaded One of the great things about a first-time and ‘grassroots’ project such as Overland Overloaded is that as you walk down the street shouting about it, people always come out of their houses to stare. Some of them just look bemused, but others pull on their sneakers and join in the chaos. Today, the Overland Overloaded team is joined by Koraly Dimitriadis. Koraly is a Melbourne writer, currently redrafting her first novel Xenos, a draft of which was shortlisted for the Northern Notes Pitch Competition in 2008. Koraly is currently mentored by novelist Christos Tsiolkas and an article of hers will appear in the Emerging Writers Festival Reader later this year (alongside work from Overland Overloaded bloggers Maxine Clarke and Simonne Michelle-Wells). Koraly participated in the Overland Progressive Writers Masterclass earlier this year. She is also the mother to a young toddler, and her below poem is the first of a series of ‘poeranting’ poems written by Overland Overloaded bloggers. Koraly will join the Overland Overloaded team again later this week to review Wednesday night’s Overload Allstars at the Northcote Social Club. A poet is born You know you are a poet, when you’re writing poems at five. The words are sewn together, by an uncontrollable thread of insanity. Your child says her first words, and the notepad is there but you’re not. There is banging of your head against a computer with internal bleeding. Words slice at your craft like stop chasing dreams and onirevese. And words sound egotistical like Papa, afise me I’ve got talent. Then there are those looks like whose gonna care what you say? and get a real job. And one has to contemplate slicing the trembling hand to fucking stop but the thoughts still rhyme. Overland Overloaded More by Overland Overloaded Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays First published in Overland Issue 228 11 November 202211 November 2022 Main Posts On the last day of Subscriberthon, our amazing online editor gives you one last (very good) reason to subscribe Editorial team What's in store for the last day of Subscriberthon? First published in Overland Issue 228 10 November 202210 November 2022 Main Posts On the second-last day of Subscriberthon, our favourite editor-duo give you reason #1002 to subscribe to Overland Editorial team What's in store for the second-last day of Subscriberthon?